Astroblog

Obscured by Clouds. The rough and ready blog of a cloud benighted biologist and amateur astronomer. Astroblog will cover my interests in astronomy, biology and Life, the Universe and Everything.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

The Sky This Week - Thursday June 1 to Thursday June 8

The First Quarter Moon is Thursday June 1. Mars is lost in the twilight.
Jupiter
and
the bright star Spica
are nearby in the evening
sky and are visited by the Moon on the 4th.
Saturn is in the evening
sky in the heart of the Milky Way. Venus climbs higher in the morning
sky, with Mercury below it. Venus is close to Uranus on the 3rd and 4th. Comet C/2015 V2 Johnson may be visible in
binoculars in the northern sky.

The First Quarter Moon is Thursday June 1.

Evening sky on Sunday June 4 looking north as seen from
Adelaide at 20:18 ACST (when Jupiter is highest in the sky). Jupiter is above the
horizon between
the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima, with the Mon making a triangle with the pair. Jupiter
is now closer to Porrima than Spica. The inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at 18:00 ACST of Friday June 3.

Comet C/2015 V2 is moderately high above the horizon near Arcturus.

Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Jupiteris
rising before dusk and is now reasonably high above the
horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright
star Spica, the brightest
star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star
Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica. On the 4th the waxing Moon forms a triangle with Jupiter and Spica.

Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was
on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising before the sun sets and is visible until the early morning. Jupiter is a good telescopic target
from astronomical twilight on, and the dance of its Moons is
visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.

Evening sky on Saturday June 3 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 20:00 ACST. Saturn is reasonably high above the horizon.

The inset
shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Saturn is now visible in the evening skies this week. Saturn is a good
telescopic
target from 10 pm on. It continues to
climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. It is within
binocular
distance of the Triffid and Lagoon nebula and makes a very nice sight in
binoculars.

Saturn is at opposition next week, but watching the rings over the coming week should see them brighten ahead of the planet,

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the
north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below
that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.

Comet C/2015 V2 is in a good position to view at the moment, it is
dimmer than predicted at around magnitude 8, while with good binoculars
and under dark skies it should be visible as a fuzzy dot. The bright
star Arcturus is readily visible and you can star hop from it down to
the comet. For more details off how to view the comet see here.

Morning sky on Saturday June 3 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 6:17 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus is dazzling and Mercury
is prominent below it. Uranus is close to Venus. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at
this time.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 60 minutes before sunrise, click
to embiggen).

Venus
climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a "half-Moon". Over the next few days Uranus comes close to Venus and is closest on the 3rd and 4th. Blue-green Uranus will be easily visible in binoculars as it draw close to brilliant Venus. Uranus, Venus and the brightish star omicron Pisces from a triangle, and you can watch Uranus move from day to day.

There are lots
of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now
is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Astrophiz Podcast 34 is Out

Our feature interview is with Dr. Anthony Horton – Instrument
Scientist at the AAO who tells us all about life as an Instrument
Scientist for AAO and the Huntsman Telescope and the Space-Eye CubeSat
telescope project.

I give you the skinny on the great
current conditions for observing our Gas Giants.

If these geomagnetic events occur and result in
aurora they could be seen from Tasmania and Southern Victoria, weather
permitting. The Moon is just off new, so will not interfere. Be patient, as the
activity may rise and fall of the magnetic polarity of the wind may fluctuate
significantly.

Dark sky sites have the best chance of seeing anything,
and always allow around 5 minutes for your eyes to become dark adapted.

As
always look to the south for shifting red/green glows, beams have been reported
consistently over the last few aurora, as well as bright proton arcs and "picket
fences".

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

The Sky This Week - Thursday May 25 to Thursday June 1

The New Moon is Friday May 26, the First Quarter Moon is Thursday June 1. Mars is low in the twilight.
Jupiter
and
the bright star Spica
are nearby in the evening
skies.
Saturn is in the evening
sky in the heart of the Milky Way. Venus climbs higher in the morning
sky, with Mercury below it. Comet C/2015 V2 Johnson may be visible in
binoculars in the northern sky.

The New Moon is Friday May 26, and is at perigee, when it is closest to Earth. The First Quarter Moon is Thursday June 1.

Evening sky on Saturday May 27 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at 17:57 ACST (45 minutes after sunset). Mars is low above the horizon.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 45 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Mars is in the western evening skies in Taurus It is is low in the
dusk sky, but is the brightest object above the western horizon low in
the late twilight. You will need a clear, unobscured level horizon to
see it though.

Evening sky on Saturday May 27 looking north as seen from
Adelaide at 20:47 ACST (when Jupiter is highest in the sky). Jupiter is above the
horizon between
the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter
is now closer to Porrima than Spica. The inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at this time.

Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Jupiteris
rising at dusk and is now reasonably high above the
horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright
star Spica, the brightest
star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star
Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica.

Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was
on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising as the sun sets and is visible all night
long. Jupiter is a good telescopic target
from around 7 pm on, and the dance of its Moons is
visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.

Evening sky on Saturday May 27 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 21:00 ACST. Saturn is reasonably high above the horizon.

The inset
shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Saturn is now visible in the evening skies this week. Saturn is a good
telescopic
target from 10 pm on. It continues to
climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. It is within
binocular
distance of the Triffid and Lagoon nebula and makes a very nice sight in
binoculars.Saturn is not far from the dim star 58 Ophiuchi and will leave it behind over the week.

Saturn is at opposition next month, but watching the rings over the coming weeks should see them brighten ahead of the planet,

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the
north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below
that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.

Morning sky on Tuesday May 23 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 6:13 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise). Venus is dazzling and Mercury is prominent below it. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at
this time.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 60 minutes before sunrise, click
to embiggen).

Venus
climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a
waxing crescent.

Location of comet C/2015 V2
(indicated by the circle) looking north as seen from Adelaide at 11 pm on the 27th. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere in Australia (and most of the southern hemisphere) at the
equivalent local time. Click to
embiggen

Comet C/2015 V2 is in a good position to view at the moment, it is
dimmer than predicted at around magnitude 8, while with good binoculars
and under dark skies it should be visible as a fuzzy dot. The bright
star Arcturus is readily visible and you can star hop from it down to
the comet. For more details off how to view the comet see here.

There are lots
of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now
is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Seeing Comet C/2015 V2 (Johnson) from Australia (21-31 May)

Comet C/2015 V2 (Johnson) as seen from Adelaide at 23:24 ACST, when it is at its highest above the horizon. Similar views will be seen from elsewhere in Australia at the same equivalent local time. (click to embiggen)

Comet C/2015 V2 is a comet predicted to get at least binocular bright in the next few week. Im Australia, it has only just crept high enough in the sky to be decent viewing in Australia.

The comet is currently passing through Bootes, the Herder, in the northern sky. As the week couse onit will climb higher in the sky, making it easier to see. It is best to look around 23:30 local time, when the comet will be at its highest above the horizon murk.

The comet has been reported around magnitude 8, which shloud be just visible with 10x50 binolculars or better under dark skies. I have seen a recent report of it being magnitude 7, wich is comfortable binocular level.

Black and white printable chart for Comet C/2015 V2 (Johnson) showing the
track of the comet for the rest of the month. The orientation is the same as for the map above. The circle is the approximate filed of view of 10x50 binoculars. Use Arcturus, present on both maps, to orient yourself. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in
Australia,
click to embiggen.

The comet should be relatively easy to find as a tiny fuzzy blob if you star hop down from Arturus towards the horizon via epsilon (𝛜) Bootes (see map), the next brightest star sweeping down diagonally from Arturus. Contiue on towards the next brightest star, delta (𝝳) Bootes. For this week the comet will be between epsilon and delta Bootes, by the end of the week the comet will be to the right of epsilon (𝛜) Bootes. During this time the comet should be brightening slightly (and be easiler to see being bhigher above the horizon.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

The Sky This Week - Thursday May 18 to Thursday May 25

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday May 19. Mars is low in the twilight.
Jupiter
and
the bright star Spica
are nearby in the evening
skies.
Saturn is in the evening
sky in the heart of the Milky Way. Venus climbs higher in the morning sky, with Mercury below it. The crescent Moon visits Venus on the 23rd, and Mercury on the 24th. Comet C/2015 V2 Johnson may be visible in binoculars in the northern sky.

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday May 19.

Evening sky on Saturday May 20 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at 18:02 ACST (45 minutes after sunset). Mars is low above the horizon, below
Aldebaran.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 45 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Mars is in the western evening skies in Taurus It is is low in the
dusk sky, but is the brightest object above the western horizon low in
the late twilight. You will need a clear, unobscured level horizon to
see it though.

Evening sky on Saturday May 20 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 18:46 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Jupiter is above the
horizon between
the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter
is now closer to Porrima than Spica. The inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at 20:15 ACST on the 24th, Ganymede has just come out of eclipse and Io is transiting the face of
Jupiter.

Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. that is 90 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Jupiteris
rising at dusk and is now reasonably high above the
horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright
star Spica, the brightest
star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star
Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica.

Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was
on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising as the sun sets and is visible all night
long. Jupiter is a good telescopic target
from around 8 pm on, and the dance of its Moons is
visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.

Evening sky on Saturday May 13 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 21:00 ACST. Saturn is reasonably high above the horizon.

The inset
shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Saturn is now visible in the evening skies this week. Saturn is a good
telescopic
target from 10 pm on. It continues to
climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. It is within
binocular
distance of the Triffid and Lagoon nebula and makes a very nice sight in
binoculars.Saturn is also very close by the dim star 58 Ophiuchi and will glide by it over the week.

Saturn is at opposition next month, but watching the rings over the coming weeks should see them brighten ahead of the planet,

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the
north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below
that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.

Morning sky on Tuesday May 23 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 5:36 ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Mercury is prominent below it. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at
this time.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 60 minutes before sunrise, click
to embiggen).

Venus
climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a
waxing crescent.

Mercury is easily visible low to the horizon, it is within binocular distance of Uranus, and will make an interesting pairing.

The Moon will form a line with Venus and Mercury on the 22nd, the thin crescent Moon will be just below Venus on the 23rd and just above Mercury on the 24th.

Location of comet C/2015 V2
(indicated by the circle) looking north as seen from Adelaide at midnight on the 20th. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere in Australia (and most of the southern hemisphere) at the
equivalent local time. Click to
embiggen

Comet C/2015 V2 is in a good position to view at the moment, it is dimmer than predicted at around magnitude 8, while with good binoculars and under dark skies it should be visible as a fuzzy dot. The bright star Arcturus is readily visible and you can star hop from it down to the comet.

There are lots
of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now
is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.

Tuesday, May 09, 2017

The Sky This Week - Thursday May 11 to Thursday May 18

The Full Moon is Thursday May 11. Mars is low in the twilight.
Jupiter
and
the bright star Spica
are nearby in the evening
skies.
Saturn is low in the evening
sky and is visited by the Moon on the 13th. Venus climbs higher in the morning sky, with Mercury below it.

The Full Moon is Thursday May 11. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth, on the 13th.

Evening sky on Saturday May 13 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at 18:04 ACST (45 minutes after sunset). Mars is low above the horizon, below
Aldebaran.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 45 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Mars is in the western evening skies in Taurus It is is low in the
dusk sky, but is the brightest object above the western horizon low in
the late twilight to the right of Aldebaran. You will need a clear, unobscured level horizon to
see this though.

Evening sky on Saturday May 13 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 18:50 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Jupiter is above the
horizon between
the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica. The inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at 21:15 ACST Ganymede is transiting the face of Jupiter.

Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. that is 90 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Jupiteris
rising at dusk and is now reasonably high above the
horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright
star Spica, the brightest
star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star
Porrima. Jupiter is now closer to Porrima than Spica.

Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was
on April the 8th. Jupiter is rising as the sun sets and is visible all night
long. Jupiter is a good telescopic target
from around 8 pm on, and the dance of its Moons is
visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.

Evening sky on Saturday May 13 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 22:00 ACST. Saturn is reasonably high above the horizon. The Moon is close to Saturn.

The inset
shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Saturn is now visible in the evening skies this week. Saturn is a good telescopic
target from 11 pm on. It continues to
climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. It is within binocular
distance of the Triffid and Lagoon nebula and makes a very nice sight in binoculars. However, this week the bright Moon drowns out the faint cluster. The Moon is close to Saturn on the 13th, and a bit further away on the 14th.

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the
north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below
that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.

Morning sky on Saturday May 13 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 6:04 ACST (60 minutes before sunrise). Mercury is becoming more prominent below it. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at
this time.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 60 minutes before sunrise, click
to embiggen).

Venus
climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a
waxing crescent.

Mercury is easily visible low to the horizon, it is within binocular distance of Uranus, and will make an interesting pairing.

There are lots
of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now
is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.

Sunday, May 07, 2017

James Stone's Amazing Shot of the ISS and Orion's Belt

Remember the ISS shooting through Orion's Belt last weekend? I was clouded out, but James Stone wasn't and send me this amazing image of the ISS passing close to the Orion Nebula (click to embiggen, you won't regret it).

Now remeber, the image is copyright to James Stone, so play nice and ask him if you want to use it. Otherwise kick back and enjoy.

Saturday, May 06, 2017

Southern Skywatch May, 2017 edition is now out!

Morning sky as seen on May 23 and hour before sunrise. The crescent
Moon is close to crescent Venus. with Uranus and Mercury below. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in
Australia at the
equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

The May edition of Southern Skywatch is up (still late again, sorry, but getting better).

Jupiter
is in an ideal position to watch the banded world in a
telescope. Jupiter is a a bit over a hand-span from the bright star Spica for most of
this month. On the 8th the Moon, Jupiter and Spica from a triangle.

Saturn climbs higher in the evening sky this month. Saturn is close to the Triffid and
Lagoon Nebulae. On the 13th Saturn is close to the waning Moon.

Mercury climbs higher in the morning sky this month, and is in an excellent position for viewing. On the 24th Mercury and the crescent Moon are close.

Venus climbs higher in the morning sky this month. The crescent Moon is close to crescent Venus on the 23rd.

After days of cloud tonight was virtually cloud free (at first) so I set up Don the 8" Newtonian in between preparing dinner ready for the occultation of Regulus. Just after 7:00 I fired off some test shots ... then the battey ran out. It wasn't until just before the occulation that I got the amera back on again, and managed to get Rgulus just as it winked out.

After a longer recharge I set the camera up again (infinity-infinity imaging through a 20 mm Plossly lens on the 8"). There was a lot of thin cloud about but the Moon was still fairly clear. This time I tried something different and instead of taking static shots ran a video form my Canon IXUS. It worked pretty well excet a) going to video more undid the focus and b) the video is in quick time MOV format which I can't edit with any of my set-up.

Still, I got very nice, if slightly out of focus, video of Regulus coming out from behind the Moon, tming was pretty good too. Had to take a screen shot to show the emergence as I can't extract single frames from the video (or crop or resize or anything).

A very nice night. Compare these shots with the occultation of Regulus back in February.

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

Geomagnetic warning and Aurora Watch (3-5 May)

The SWS has issued a geomagnetic warning and an aurora watch for 3-5 May due to
a glancing blow from a coronal mass ejection. This is expected to arrive late in
the UT day on the 3rd (which is the morning of the 4th Australian time). If
these geomagnetic events occur and result in aurora they could be seen from
Tasmania and Southern Victoria, weather permitting . The Moon is approaching
first quarter, so should not interfere much with evening events, and leave the
mornings Moon free.

Be patient, as the activity may rise and fall of the
magnetic polarity of the wind may fluctuate significantly.

Dark sky sites
have the best chance of seeing anything, and always allow around 5 minutes for
your eyes to become dark adapted.

As always look to the south for shifting
red/green glows, beams have been reported consistently over the last few aurora,
as well as bright proton arcs and "picket fences".

A weak,
slow moving CME is expected to have a glancing impact on Earth in the later
half of UT day 03 May. There is a small chance of geomagnetic activity
reaching Minor Storm levels at high latitudes in the later half of the UT
day 03 May.

==============================================================SUBJ:
SWS AURORA WATCHISSUED AT 0458 UT ON 03 May 2017 by Space Weather
ServicesFROM THE AUSTRALIAN SPACE FORECAST CENTRE

A weak slow moving
coronal mass ejection is expected to have aglancing impact at Earth within
the next 48 hours, possibly resultingin minor geomagnetic activity. There is
a small chance of visibleauroras during local nighttime hours at high
latitudes on 03 May andpossibly 04 May. Aurora alerts will follow if
significant geomagneticactivity actually occurs.

The Sky This Week - Thursday May 4 to Thursday May 11

The Full Moon is Thursday May 11. The Moon occults the bright
star Regulus on the 4th. Mars is low in the twilight below Aldebaran. Jupiter
and
the bright star Spica
are nearby in the evening
skies.
Saturn is low in the evening
sky. Venus climbs higher in the morning sky, with Mercury below it. The eta Aquariid meteor shower is at its best in the morning from the 7th to the 9th.

The Full Moon is Thursday May 11. The Moon occults the bright star Regulus on the 4th.

Evening sky on Saturday May 6 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at 18:24 ACST (60 minutes after sunset). Mars is low above the horizon, below
Aldebaran.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Mars is in the western evening skies in Taurus It is is low in the
dusk sky, but is the brightest object above the western horizon low in
the late twilight below Aldebaran. Over the week Mars passes the Hyades cluster, you will need a clear, unobscured level horizon to
see this though.

Evening sky on Monday May 8 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 18:54 ACST (90 minutes after sunset). Jupiter is above the horizon between
the bright star Spica and the relatively bright star Porrima. The Moon, Juiter and Spica form a triangle. The inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at 18:54 ACST Europa is transiting the face of Jupiter.

Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. that is 90 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Jupiteris
rising at dusk and is now reasonably high above the
horizon in the early evening this week. It is in between the bright star Spica, the brightest
star in the constellation of Virgo, and the relatively bright star Porrima. Jupiter is close to the Moon, forming a triangle with Spica, on the 8th.

Opposition, when Jupiter is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth, was
on the 8th. Jupiter is rising as the sun sets and is visible all night
long. Jupiter is a good telescopic target
from around 8 pm on, and the dance of its Moons is
visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEST.

Evening sky on Saturday May 6 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 22:00 ACST. Saturn is reasonably high above the horizon.

The inset
shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Saturn is now visible in the evening skies this week. Saturn is a good telescopic
target from 11 pm on. It continues to
climb into the evening skies as the week progresses. It is within binocular
distance of the Triffid and Lagoon nebula and makes a very nice sight in binoculars.

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the
north-eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below
that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.

Morning sky on Saturday May 6 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 5:45 ACST (45 minutes before sunrise). The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at
this time.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 90 minutes before sunrise, click
to embiggen).

Venus
climbs higher in the morning sky and is visible in telescopes as a
crescent.

Mercury is is visible low to the horizon, it is within binocular distance of Uranus, and will make an interesting pairing.

The northern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 18:17 ACDST on Thursday
May 4, the
bright star Regulus is close to the Moon an hour before it is occulted.
The inset shows the Moon and Regulus at 19:24 ACST, just as Regulus is
occulted.
Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local
time. Click to embiggen.

On the early evening of Thursday 4 April the bright star Regulus is
occulted by the Moon as seen from the most of Australia. This is the
second of two occultations of Regulus, the brightest star in the
constellation of Leo the lion, this year. The Moon is a very obvious
signpost for where to look and Regulus will be the brightest object near
the Moon.

Morning sky on Saturday May 7 looking east as seen from Adelaide
at 4:00 am ACST. The radiant of the eta Aquariid meteor shower is
shown. This year the radiant is neatly bracketed by the bright stars
Altair and Fomalhaut and the planet Venus. Similar views will be seen
elsewhere in Australia at the
equivalent local time. (click
to embiggen).

The eta Aquariids meteor shower, the debris from Halleys comet, will peak on May 6 UT . However, the
best rates will be seen from Australia on the mornings of the 7th,
8th and 9th.

There are lots
of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now
is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.